Am I Just a Puppet To You?
by Annabeth Zatsune
Summary: Karakuri is a confused young girl. Utterly confused by the Death Note she found, she turns herself in for fear of being Kira. But she finds that her power to tell emotions just be looking at a person are of great interest to L, and he winds up using her, confusing her more. But then he seems to take even more interest... LxOC, T for swearing
1. Turning In

The girl pushed through the crowd frantically, tears streaming down her face.

"No... No, no, no, no!" she cried out.

People started to part willingly for her, afraid that she may be insane.

Finally, she stopped running. Covering her face, she sank to her knees. "Oh God... I killed them..." she sobbed. "Oh, God! No, no, no!"

Her sobbing stopped as she looked up. "No... I can... Stop this..." she said weakly, standing up. It was overwhelming to be around all these people... Her long pinkish hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it out as she started to run again. She was running to the police.

She stopped, panting outside the door. "Help me..." she whispered.

"Is something wrong?"

She looked up to see a man. He was confused. She must've been a sight. Long, messy hair, huge baggy tee that showed her bra-straps, short shorts, one sock on, the other off, no shoes, a backpack on. "Please... I need to speak to L!" she said quickly.

"I'm... Sorry, but you... I'm-"

"No! Don't tell me your name! Then I'll have a name and a face!" she cried out, pushing herself away, one hand instinctively going to her backpack.

He recoiled away. "Are you saying...?"

"It's possible... Please!" she begged, falling to her hands and knees.

_Later..._

She gazed at the camera in her cell. She opened her mouth to speak.

"L..."

She got no answer.

"I know you can at least hear and see me, even if you can't reply... Please, tell me... You went through my bag, didn't you?"

"You should know the answer to that." The voice wasn't real. It was artificial. Scrambled, disguised.

She looked just below the camera.

"Then you... touched my notebook?"

"Ah, the Death Note?"

"Yes... That's how... You read it, didn't you?"

"Your name is Karakuri, isn't it? Well, Karakuri, how long have you had this?"

"Long enough to know I should be in the chair by now..."

There was silence.

"L?"

"What is it?"

"I am, aren't I? Kira, I mean? I'm going to be executed soon, right? I'm sorry for the awful things I did... Do you think it'll hurt?" She couldn't prevent a small sob from escaping.

"Karakuri."

She didn't reply.

"I don't believe you to be Kira."

She gasped, running up to the camera. "What? I'm not? Then who am I? The second Kira? Tell me!"

"I believe that had you not turned yourself in, you could've evolved into a third Kira. I have suspects as to the real characters in custody. Before I go any further, please explain the Death Note to me."

"Ah... Well, you read it, didn't you? You don't need to ask me to explain it! You can just read it!" she said nervously, not liking where this was going.

"Please... Don't make this difficult..."

"I already told you, you can just read the Note!"

"Why don't you just explain it to L, Puppet?"

"Who was that?" L asked.

"Ah ha ha, no one! I didn't hear anything! Nothing at all!" she lied, laughing nervously.

"You're hiding something. Just come out and tell me."

"Mmmm... That was Cralk... My Death God..."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "You touched the Note... Probably got all over it, but that means you can see and hear him. He's hiding in the wall now, but he's there." she said softly.

"Karakuri... What you just told me makes me want to meet you."

"No! I won't! You'll have to do it by force!" she cried out.

"Even for one as secluded as yourself, that seems abnormally shy."

"I don't want to meet you! I'm just fine talking to the camera and responding to the disguised voice!" she laughed nervously. "And if you do try to bring me, I'll fight!" But she knew it was hopeless. She couldn't fight him. "I'll take back the Note and kill you if I have to!" Her bluffs were weak, just like her...

"Why do you bother, Puppet?" Cralk asked. "You've already surrendered yourself to him. Just give it up and tell him."

"Shut up, Cralk... I just... I just don't want to read anymore!" she softly sobbed, knowing that L had probably already sent for her.

"What do you mean?" L asked.

"Puppet here doesn't like to be around anyone, even photos or videos. That's because she can tell a person's emotions just by looking at them."

"Shut up!" she yelled.

"By touching them, she can tell who the emotions are for."

"Shut up! I'll unplug it!"

"We all know you can't do that, Puppet. I could tell them your entire life's story and you couldn't do anything to stop it." Cralk grinned. "And by kissing a person, Puppet will always know what that person is thinking and feeling."

"Cralk, please, stop!"

"Puppet can recover lost memories that aren't even hers."

"Please! That's enough! No more, please!" she begged.

"Puppet doesn't feel any emotions of her own other than those of hurt and confusion. Like that of a tangled-up puppet, she is subject to anything her current master decides to put her through. That's why she changed her name to Karakuri."

"Changed her name?"

"Yes... Having been kissed by quite a few, Puppet has access to quite a lot that no one else does. This only tangled her strings further, which lead her to the decision to change her name."

"Cralk! Enough, I'm begging you!" she wailed.

"Yes, I think that should do. After all, we'll be meeting soon."

Gasping, she turned around a second too late. The last things she registered were apologeticness and pity.

Later, when she woke back up, she kept her eyes closed, refusing to show that she was conscious. She managed to get away with it for a minute or two.

"It's no use. I know you're awake. Your breathing pattern changed." someone said softly.

She curled up, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter. "I don't care." she said bluntly. "I don't want to wake up... I'd rather be killed..." Her voice broke, and even though her eyes were shut, tears leaked out.

"We won't hurt you. Please cooperate."

That voice was different. "So L isn't just one person? How many of there are you?" There was a pause, and she sniffled a little. "I... I preferred it when I was talking to the camera... It may invade some people's privacy, but I've got nothing to hide..." Again, her voice broke, and she failed to suppress a sob.

"Does she cry often?"

"Yeah. Puppet often becomes overwhelmed in her confusion and cried. Most of the time there's a reason, but not always. It can get annoying after a while."

That was Cralk. He was speaking with them... "Cralk, you're a traitor. You said you'd never tell anyone..." she whispered.

"I never-"

"Liar! You said you would never tell...! You said you'd never tell anyone that I'm a monster!" Harsh sobs wracked her body.

She felt someone sit next to her, then a delicate hand touch her arm. She stopped crying and took a sharp breath. "The only one here that is L is me." It was the first speaker.

"So you just brought the others to look at me like some kind of zoo-animal." she said bitterly.

"No. The others are a team of detectives working with me on the Kira case."

This person... He held so much bottled-up emotion... There was lots of suspicion... Pity... Sorrow... Apologeticness... Traces of anger... And confusion. Plenty of confusion. Why was he so confused? "Please stop..." she said through gritted teeth. This was becoming the same problem as kissing! Which was a no! He was pulling her in...!

"No." he replied, his tone indifferent.

"Stop it!" she screamed, opening her eyes and throwing herself away from him. The place where he'd touched seared! She touched it and whimpered a little. Damn, that hurt!

"You seem like a fragile person, Karakuri. How did you come about your skills?"

She turned to look at them. There were two sitting across from where she'd been. Cralk was to the left of where she'd been. And the person who was L... seemed more normal than even her! She pulled her knees up to her chest, deciding she might as well cooperate now. "I didn't. I was born this way." she replied softly.

"We won't hurt you, so if you'd elaborate a bit on the Death Note, we'd appreciate it." he said evenly.

"Isn't that what he's for?!" she objected, pointing to Cralk. "I mean, you read the darned thing! And he's the one who gave it to me!"

"I told you, even we don't know much about the Note. Why don't you tell them what you've found out on your own?" Cralk said simply, shrugging.

L came over and crouched next to her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hoped desperately that he wouldn't touch her again... But he didn't, instead setting the Note between them. "Please. Enlighten us further." he said blankly.

"The Death God appears thirty-nine days after one starts to use the Note. If you write down cause then name, it's still valid. Suicide is a valid cause of death. Details must be possible, doable. Sheets torn from the Note still function as the real thing. Death Gods can lengthen their life-span by using the Note, but humans can't. Those who use the Note go to neither Hell or Heaven. A human can exchange half their life-span for a Death God's eyes, which instantly show name and life-span. The date of death must be within their life-span to be valid. If the Note is loaned to someone, the Death God responsible will not follow them, but stick with the original owner." she babbled. Taking a breath, she was about to continue when L covered her mouth with his hand.

"That's enough. Thank you." he said, uncovering her mouth.

"A Death God's eyes show your name and life-span?" gasped one of the detectives.

"Yep. Right now, I can see all of you's dates." Cralk said cheerfully. "Puppet has yet to strike the deal!"

"I won't! I'm already a monster! I don't want to see any more than what I already do!" she wailed.

L's hand rested on hers. "You aren't a monster." he said.

"So many emotions... All for so many people..." she said quietly, trembling. "You bottle it all up inside and never let anyone see... It pulls me, draws me in... I've never met anyone like you, L... Never..."

"Can I show you something?"

Her eyes widened. "How does no sound...?" she offered. Again, she was weak, and he knew it.

She was pulled over to a screen. It was divided into four. One section was empty, but the others held images of people. "They're...?" she asked, trailing off.

"Yes. The first is suspected of being the second Kira. The next of being the original. The third is just the second's father, also a detective working under me."

She saw the words between the lines. "All are scared. The suspects are confused. She is slightly irritated, just like the father. Your original Kira feels betrayed." she informed them.

"I want you to meet Light and Amame."

"Please... Don't make me..." she pleaded, eyes wide.

"Cralk is right... You're in our hands now. You really don't have choice..." one of the detectives said gently.

"They aren't very good hands so far..." she whimpered. "It's like invading one's head... I really don't want to."

"They don't have a choice either." L said dully, switching on a mike she hadn't seen. "Amame."

The girl's head came up on her screen. "What is it, Mister Stalker?" she asked.

She flinched at the voice. It was so... small, lost...

"I'm going to send someone to meet you. She'll be there soon."

The mike was switched off.

"Please don't..." she said hopelessly.

"Matsuda, please escort Karakuri."

"Yes..."

"You're all so cruel." she whimpered as she was lead away.


	2. Reading Emotions

**Before I go on to the story, please review, peoples! I love to hear your comments, even the nastier ones! And this story is kinda... A test.** **Someone told me _I_ could never write an LxOC, so I'm trying it out. Let me know how I do, give me pointers... Especially you who have written LxOCs! Help me out, please!**

**And if anyone says that Karakuri wallows in self-pity too much, well, YEAH! She's supposed to! That's how she's written!**

**I try to listen to music that represents confusion, sadness, and revival while I write this, but that is close to zip. Suggestions are welcome! XD**

She hated being around the girl, Misa, more than simply looking at her. She radiated hopelessness...

"Who's there? Is that you, Mister Stalker?"

She flinched a tad. "No... I'm Karakuri..." she answered softly.

"Karakuri? Are you Mister Stalker's puppet?"

Her breath caught. She looked back to the two men present, then to the camera from which L was watching. "Yes." she answered. It wasn't completely a lie...

"What does Mister Stalker want?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah... why did he send you?"

"I can't say... I'm unsure as to that myself." she replied, reaching out and touching the girl's cheek.

Confusion to just about everything... Fear for herself... Irritation to a few things... And so incredibly deep down, there was a hurt.

This girl was missing someone.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured.

"Eh?"

"I hope you'll all forgive me for this!" she wailed, lunging forth. She tipped Misa's face up and connected their lips.

A flood of emotions washed over her. She could just barely make out L ordering them to be separated. Hands tugged at her, clawing and trying to pull her off... But she kept on diving in, trying to find the hurt...

There!

She reached out, barely touching it... A new wave swamped her. Then there was a sharp pain in the back of her skull, and she went limp. She was no longer in the girl's head. But she was in hers. With a jolt, she realized she was crying again... Could it be from the pain? She couldn't see it, but she felt blood on the back on her head. She was being dragged away. Lots of yelling, plenty of confusion...

Soon enough, she was alone again in her cell. She sighed, lying down on her stomach.

"Oi..."

She looked up at Cralk. "Hey there..." she sighed, waving half-heartedly.

"You planned that, didn't you? You knew it would get you put back in here, all alone, didn't you Puppet?" he asked.

"No."

"Huh?"

"I honestly expected to be taken back before them and chewed out. She's hurting for someone, Cralk, but it's too suppressed for me to tell even after I delved into her memories." she said honestly, rolling over. "I just barely got a name... Rem. Someone named Rem. That's all I know."

"Rem, huh?"

"Do you know anyone of that name?" she asked, turning her large brown eyes to Cralk. She didn't get an answer. Rolling over, she was facing the camera. "How about you? Do you know any Rem, L?"

Again, no answer. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She wished she wasn't a monster, couldn't read emotions, didn't have people screaming inside her head... She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. She didn't want to cry any more, but how could she, in this overwhelming confusion? She felt her lip trembling, and her shoulders shook a tad.

"Karakuri."

That wasn't the speaker. Her eyes shot open. "Please... Tell me you aren't here to take me to see him..." she whispered, her voice pleading. "I don't want to see any more people! I want to be alone!"

"I'm sorry... I just do as I'm told..."

"So I'm once again just the tool that you're using..."

Tears flowed freely now, and she didn't try to stop them. Why bother? She couldn't fight, and even if she did, she knew she would lose. It always worked that way...

But the decision that'd been made while she couldn't hear terrified her even more. L would accompany her to see Light, the suspect of being the first Kira.

She really didn't want to be anywhere near him... His touch had burned her, it still hurt there, and he held such an array of emotions that he never showed, if she could feel fear, she would!

But she had no choice. She was just the puppet who was being yanked around.

On the way there, she turned to L. She'd felt his eyes on her. "Why are you coming with me?" she asked.

"To ensure you don't pull that stunt again."

She flinched a little. "You... heard what I said, right?" she asked.

"The name doesn't ring any bells."

The rest of the trip was in silence.

Honestly, she hated being around the boy, Light, more than she did Misa. He was swamped in lostness. Period.

"Ryuzaki! Why're you here? Am I cleared?" he asked, scrambling to his feet as they approached. A glimmer of hope had wormed it's way into the aura of emotions surrounding him.

"Not yet. Karakuri should be able to determine that."

She had taken a few timid steps back, but he caught her by the wrist, preventing her from going any further. "Please, no..." she whimpered.

"How can she do that?" Light asked.

"Karakuri can read emotions. And if she touches you, she can get specific with them."

Light pressed himself up against the bars of the cell-door. She came up to them and slowly touched his cheek.

There it was again... Suppressed memories, deep down hurting...

She took her hand away. "Well?" L asked.

"I... I..." she stammered.

"Don't you-"

L's order was cut off as she lunged forward again. She ignored the memories, knowing that L would be quicker to pull her off. She pushed and shoved through, like she had the crowd when she was turning herself in. There! She reached out and grabbed it...

"Stop it!"

She was thrown away from Light. "I... I'm sorry..." she whimpered, cowering under L's fury. He wasn't showing it, but it rolled off him in waves.

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

A sob squeezed it's way out. But she didn't break down. She got up and started running instead. He called after her, but she ignored him. She pushed through the doors, leading to the world. It was dark and raining. She was almost instantly sodden. Cars roared past on the street, their lights filling the night with an unnatural glow. There was a lapse in their passing, and for a millisecond, she paused.

"Karakuri!"

It all happened in slow-motion, almost in tune to her heart-beat.

The glare of head-lights. The howl of a truck-horn. The screech of skidding tires. The sharp, sudden impact.

There was noise. Plenty of it. Pain. Quite a bit of that too. Confusion. Worry. Her eyes started to slid shut.

"Karakuri..."

Pain. Worry. Confusion. Apologeticness. She cracked open her eyes. It was L. He was crouched over her, his face holding emotion for the first time since she'd met him. His hand was on hers.

"I... I hate..." she started.

"If you hate me, I don't blame you." His voice was distant, the world swimming.

"...No... I hate... me..." she said as the world faded to black.

_L_

He was confused. After he'd yanked her off of Light, she'd run from him. He'd followed her. He'd watched as she'd run in front of the semi.

She'd been hit. Badly.

But somehow, her damage was minimal. No broken bones, no internal bleeding...

He and Matsuda sat near her at the hospital. He looked back at the silent Cralk. "She knew, didn't she?"

"What?" Matsuda gasped, catching his drift.

"Yes. A second before she ran out into the street, Puppet hesitated. That was a failed suicide-attempt." Cralk nodded.

He turned back to Karakuri. She lay unnervingly still. But then her face became concentrated, and her hands balled up into fists. "Rem... Ryuk... They're missing you..." she said, her voice strangled.

"What's she talking about?" Matsuda asked, confused.

"Ryuk is the name of a Death God who dropped his Note here recently. How she knows his name is beyond me." Cralk replied, shrugging.

He thought back. She'd said Amame had been hurting for someone. Had she seen the same thing in Light? He really hoped not. That could become problematic.

When visiting hours were over, he left reluctantly. He'd wanted her to wake up, tell them what she was talking about. And...

He somehow knew something would happen.

So he wasn't too surprised when Karakuri went missing the next day.


	3. DON'T REVIEW

**Hello, and thank you to all those reading this...**

**But for now, this story is going on HIATUS D:...**

**Don't worry, it'll get up an' runnin' again someday! But for now, I need to narrow down what stories I work on so I can finish all of these and publish my new ones! Please don't kill me for putting this particular one on hiatus... It's nothing personal... Just going by which one is closest to done... which isn't this one...**

**DO NOT REVIEW FOR THIS CHAPTER!**

**IT WILL BE REPLACED WHEN I GET AROUND TO GETTING THIS THING OFF HIATUS! DON'T WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS REVIEW ON THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE!**


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